This invention relates to an earring construction which is especially adapted for engagement and suspension from a pierced ear opening through the earlobes of the wearer.
It is generally desirable with earring constructions of this type that those portions thereof coming in direct contact with the wearer's ear, or the pierced ear opening thereof, be formed of non-allergenic materials so as to reduce the possibility of resultant infections and the like. When the earrings, or at least those ear contacting portions thereof, are formed of metal, it is accordingly desirable to use such non-allergenic metals as gold, silver or stainless steel. The remaining portions of the earring, including ornamental and further supporting portions, may be formed of less costly or more workable metals including copper, bronze, nickel, steel or various other materials or alloys thereof which may be either used directly to form the ornament or as coatings to form various surface effects thereon. It is also common to attach posts to ornaments by means of solder connections. Skin contact with solder, especially nickel based formulation thereof, may cause skin rash, discoloration and infection. It would thus be desirable to shield those portions of an earring which are apt to be allergenic from contact with the wearer's ear, and particularly the pierced opening portions thereof.
Furthermore, when dissimilar metals are utilized in the formation of different portions of earring constructions, it is sometimes difficult to provide a satisfactory mutual attachment which is not overly expensive or timeconsuming. Thus it is known, for instance, to be difficult to attach a stainless steel post, as by soldering, to, for instance, a brass or copper ornament. It would accordingly be desirable to provide an attachment method which is not dependent on soldering, thus minimizing assembly time and costs, and at the same time, eliminating undesirable contact of the nickel content in solder with the wearer's ear, which contact frequently promotes an allergenic reation.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an earring construction of the aforementioned type in which a wearer's ears, and particularly the pierced opening portions thereof, are shielded from contact with those portions of the earring which may be formed of allergenic materials.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an earring construction of the aforementioned type in which such shielding is accomplished by the positioning of a disc-like sleeve on the post of such earring construction so as to shield ear portions and particularly the pierced ear opening from contact with those portions of the earring ornament adjacent the post.
A still further object of the present invention is the provision of an earring construction having an ornamental portion from which a separate earring post outwardly extends in such a manner so as to be fixed in position therewith without the necessity of joining such portions by soldering, brazing, welding or other integral attachment techniques which may undesirably introduce allergenic materials to the earring construction.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by the provision of earring construction including an ear ornament formed of any suitable material and an earring post formed of a non-allergenic material and positioned with respect to the ornament so as to outwardly extend from a front generally planar surface portion thereof. The earring is further provided with a generally disc-shaped sleeve, also formed of a non-allergenic material, the sleeve being frictionally engaged to the post in a fixed longitudinally oriented attitude therewith so that portions thereof shield the planar portions of the ornament, including any solder joint thereat, from contact with portions of the wearer's ear, particularly the pierced ear opening thereof.